


The Very Thought of You

by Moriavis



Series: JLA Hijinks [6]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Diana is perfection, Established Relationship, M/M, Team as Family, even batman celebrates birthdays, jealous!Barry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-07-23 21:19:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7480479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moriavis/pseuds/Moriavis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Diana's practically perfect. Okay, so it's her birthday, and Len isn't the only person giving her a present, but It's only natural for Barry to be jealous of her, right? Right.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Very Thought of You

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to saekhwa, once again, for betaing my fic and saving me from passive voice.
> 
> We all wanted another JLA story, right? Sure we did.

~*~

Barry glanced over at Len, let his fingers tap impatiently against the arm of the couch as he looked away, and then discovered himself looking back. Len had been staring intently at the computer for the last twenty minutes, and Barry was in hell.

"Len, seriously, if it's that important, I will run anywhere in the world to find her some flowers, okay?" Barry groaned and allowed his head to loll back as he stared up at the ceiling.

Len looked up from his intense perusal of the florist website he was investigating, his eyes narrowed with annoyance. "I know you can. You're missing the point."

" _You're_ missing the point," Barry huffed. "We have some time off together, for once, and you're spending all day trying to buy Diana flowers."

Len smirked. "Twenty two minutes and thirteen seconds is hardly 'all day,' Red."

"It's all day to me." Barry knew he was pouting. Len arched an eyebrow, looking entirely unimpressed, and Barry crossed his arms over his chest.

They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, and then the corner of Len's mouth tilted up in a smirk. "You're jealous."

Barry rolled his eyes. "Jealous of a tall and beautiful Amazon warrior? Of _course_ I'm jealous."

Len snorted at that and rose from his seat. "You're adorable."

Barry tossed a pillow in Len's direction, annoyed when Len caught it and tossed it back. He circled around the sofa, and Barry craned his neck back to glare at Len upside down. Len smirked and stroked his knuckles against the soft spot below Barry's ears, at the hinge of his jaw, and then pressed a soft kiss to the corner of Barry's mouth. 

"Why can't you just get a gift card like everyone else?" Barry asked, wincing at his sulky tone.

Len laughed and kissed Barry again. "I could get used to you being jealous. I shouldn't encourage your bad habits."

Barry snorted. "You taught me half of them." A third kiss, then, soft and lingering. Barry wanted to stay right there forever, Len's mouth against his, Len's fingertips rough against his throat as Len rubbed small circles against his skin.

"I'll see you tonight." Len drew his hands away and straightened, going to the closet for his motorcycle helmet.

"The party," Barry agreed, and then his JLA communicator buzzed on his wrist. "Ugh. Duty calls."

"Be careful," Len said, like he always did when Barry had to get ready for a mission.

Barry grinned and blew Len a kiss before he flashed into his suit and raced out the door.

~*~

"I don't think I'd even be worried about it if Diana just wasn't so… perfect." Barry sighed and threw himself into one of the chairs, rolling back several feet until he landed next to Hal.

Hal shook his head and raised his hands in surrender. "I'm not here to listen to your angst. I'm here for birthday cake. If you're so worried, just break up with the guy. Problem solved."

Barry stared at Hal, shaking his head slowly. "Carol would get it."

Hal patted Barry's shoulder. "Sucks that she's off world, then."

Barry shoved Hal back affectionately. "You suck."

"I've always found talking resolves a great many misunderstandings," J'onn said, focused on the stack of Chocos in front of him.

"I have talked to him." Barry sighed, throwing his arms up in defeat. "He just says I'm jealous and it's cute."

"That's sweet." Kara hip-checked the door open and walked in, carefully balancing several boxes of decorations in her arms. "Barry, help me with these, will you?" Barry zipped out of his chair, grabbing a couple of boxes from the top. Between the two of them, they had the room decorated and met each other in the center of the room with the empty boxes. "Awesome. I hate doing it by myself."

"Me too," Barry agreed, and they shared bright smiles before they turned around to survey their work. 

There were streamers, a banner, and some paper lanterns that would be really pretty when they turned the lights out. There was a table to the left where they would stack Diana's gifts, and in the right corner was the sound system. Cisco had made Barry promise he wouldn't touch it.

"Anyway," Kara wiped her hands on her jeans, "If he's not saying there's a problem, then maybe you're overreacting? You've been together for a while, and I don't think he's the type of guy to stick around when there's not something worth staying for." She affectionately bumped shoulders with him. "Besides, his heartbeat's faster when you're in the room."

Len walked in, his motorcycle helmet in one hand, a flowering plant of some sort balancing in the palm of his other hand, and he arched an eyebrow when everyone turned to look at him. "Quit talking about me, Red. I'm gonna get shy."

Barry gaped. "What are you even— How is this my fault?"

Kara ducked her head, a smile playing on her mouth. "Well, he's not wrong."

"Traitor," Barry muttered, but Len smiled, a small curl of his lip that Barry had grown used to looking for, and headed for the table in the corner, setting the plant down. Barry flashed over to his side and looked at his gift, the bloom of the pretty white flowers. "It's pretty. She'll like it."

"I know." Len glanced over at Barry. "You cooled down?"

Barry sighed. At some point, the sting of his jealousy had mellowed out. That damn smile got him every time. "Yeah, I'm cool."

Len paused for a second before he reached out and curled a hand around the back of Barry's neck, sliding his fingers smoothly between the folds of the cowl and Barry's skin. At home, that would've meant Len was going to kiss him, but Len preferred avoiding an audience whenever possible. It wasn't fair that they had rules against PDA now, and he didn't care what Wally said. It was totally not his fault.

"I'll see you in an hour and a half," Len said, and Barry frowned.

"But the party's in an hour?"

Len smirked as he drew his hand away. "With this group? Hour and a half, easy."

Barry couldn't really deny that— He was probably the least punctual, but with everyone's different tastes, things could take a while to get started. "See you then."

Len nodded once, short and sharp, and then turned his eyes on Kara and J'onn in acknowledgement before he left the room.

"Trust me, Barry," J'onn said. "You don't have anything to worry about."

"You say that, but..." Barry shrugged.

Kara looked at him, her eyes soft and understanding. "It's a thing."

Barry nodded. "Yeah. It's a thing."

~*~

The party was in full swing: Sara and Cisco were arguing good-naturedly over the music, Felicity and Caitlin were mostly drunk and dancing together in the center of the room, and even Batman had sort of loosened up, sitting quietly at one of the tables with J'onn and sharing a plate of cookies. Kara was showing Clark an old Kryptonian dance that she remembered from her childhood, and Len—

Len stood off to the side, leaning against the wall and casing the room with the slow, ceaseless pass of his eyes.

Barry darted over to Len's side and casually leaned against the wall. "What's a guy like you doing in a place like this?"

Len snorted. "Let's just say I'm enjoying the ambiance and leave it at that."

"I thought for sure you'd ask Diana to dance," Barry admitted, and they both turned to watch Diana, who was laughing as she swung Steve Trevor in a low dip.

Len shook his head. "I don't dance."

Barry rolled his eyes. "Liar." He bumped Len's arm. "I could be convinced to dance with you instead."

Len shot a sly look at Barry from the corner of his eye. " _You_ don't dance." 

"Come on." Barry took Len's hand, pulling him toward the dance floor. "You can lead. I'll just stand on your feet as you walk us around."

"You're not five," Len teased, but he pulled Barry into his arms, taking Barry's hand in his and splaying the other against Barry's lower back. Len _was_ good at dancing, of course— Barry hadn't found anything Len wasn't good at with at least a little practice, especially when it was a skill he used for cons— and he successfully guided Barry away from any potential collisions.

"I'm impressed." Barry shook his head a little, darting a look down at his feet before he glanced up at Len again. "You're actually making me look graceful."

"I'm a man of many talents." Len spun Barry, startling a laugh out of him.

"Still not ready to be dipped by Diana?" Barry teased.

"Not flexible enough." Len's voice was so dry that it made Barry laugh again.

"I'll show _you_ flexible."

Len's eyes gleamed, and Barry flushed under Len's regard. "Too easy, Scarlet."

Barry winced and nodded. "It really was."

Len laughed, a low rumble. "Talking like that at Diana's party. I could get used to it."

"Don't," Barry said dryly. "Starting tomorrow, I'll be jealous again."

Sara raised a glass and clinked a fork against it to get everyone's attention. She looked vaguely impressed with herself when it worked. "Okay, everyone. Half of us can't get drunk, which means the cake is way more important than it usually is by this point."

Diana looked surprised when everyone turned to look at her, and she laughed, pressing a hand to her chest and giving a small bow. "I'm honored—"

"You're not getting away that easy, hon," Etta said, guiding Diana toward the table, where Sara was lighting the candles on the birthday cake. 

Someone dimmed the lights, and Diana laughed again as she turned to face everyone. She took a moment to look out over the crowd of her friends and teammates before speaking. 

"We don't have birthing day celebrations in Themyscira," she said, dignified and warm as always, "but it pleases me to celebrate with my companions."

"Good," Sara agreed. "That's the best way to do it."

Diana blew out her candles, and everyone applauded, Hal blowing a shrill whistle. Sara whispered something in Diana's ear, and she turned to face the room again as someone flicked the lights back on. "I've been told it's customary to give speeches, but I'd much rather have cake. I will open your gifts in private, as I prefer to give each one my undivided attention. Thank you so much for celebrating with me today." Diana smiled, and the party resumed with one of Felicity's favorite dance numbers blaring over the speakers.

Sure enough, Diana spent quite a bit of time by herself at the table with the gifts, looking at each one individually, and then she went around the room, speaking to everyone, offering hugs as she went along.

Barry felt a sudden and deep paranoia that the books he'd purchased for her were probably the cheapest and most boring gifts ever, but it was too late to take it back. His smile felt weird and plastic on his face when she made her way over to him, and she clasped his hands, looking down at him with the sincerity she was so well known for, her eyes warm and focused entirely on him. 

"I—I know they were only books," he found himself stammering, and he flushed red as Diana smiled.

"I'd only mentioned them once in passing," Diana said, "and yet you remembered. Thank you for thinking so well of me."

"You're welcome," Barry said, feeling gangly and self-conscious in a way he hadn't felt since he was sixteen. He darted a look over at Len. "I'll just. Cake."

Barry zipped away before either of them could say anything, and he shoveled a forkful of cake into his face as he watched Diana lean close to Len and clasp his forearm. Len was a little pink cheeked when she pulled away, but Barry couldn't say anything about it, not with the way he'd reacted, too. Then Len turned to look at Barry, and Barry sped back to Len's side, offering Len a plate of cake. Len smiled and shook his head, so Barry hunched his shoulders and ate Len's slice, too.

"So," Len said after a moment. "I saw the way you got all flustered."

"Don't even," Barry said. "You blushed, too."

"I don't blush." Len narrowed his eyes, but the effect was ruined by his smile.

"Then you have an undiscovered high blood pressure problem." Barry set his plate on one of the tables before darting back to Len's side. "We have some more dancing to do."

"All right," Len agreed. "You have me convinced." Len took Barry's hand and led him back out onto the dance floor without any complaints.

"What plant did you get her anyway?" Barry asked as the music slowed, and he stepped closer, curling his arms around Len's shoulders.

"Larkspur. According to Greek myth, it's a flower made from the blood of Ajax."

"Tell me more." Barry closed his eyes as Len talked about the research he'd done, flowers and their myths, his voice an intimate rumble in Barry's ear as they danced, and for now, it was enough.

~*~


End file.
